{"id":115483,"date":"2025-06-25T12:28:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T16:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=115483"},"modified":"2025-06-25T14:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T18:00:02","slug":"interview-musical-comedian-avery-pearson-returns-toronto-comedian-rhapsody-july-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/06\/25\/interview-musical-comedian-avery-pearson-returns-toronto-comedian-rhapsody-july-10\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Musical Comedian Avery Pearson Returns To Toronto For Comedian Rhapsody July 10"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_115485\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-115485\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-115485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-14.jpg\" alt=\"Musical comedian Avery Pearson (at the piano) and friends on stage (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-14.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-14-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-14-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-14-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-115485\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Musical comedian Avery Pearson (at the piano) and friends on stage (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Toronto born, Avery Pearson has been living and working in the US for more than a decade, developing his signature blend of comedy and music. He\u2019s bringing a show north to Toronto for a live appearance on July 10.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s also got a special airing online as of June 26. We talked to Avery about the shows, and how he got into his specialty.<\/p>\n<h2>Avery Pearson<\/h2>\n<p>A native of Toronto, Avery\u2019s had a busy career in Los Angeles and New York City mixing music and comedy. His music was featured on SNL in the \u201cAngelo\u201d Sketch that featured Aristotle Athiras, Cecily Strong, Daniel Craig and Rami Malek. He also wrote the opening songs for the 2022 ESPY awards show, featuring Stephen Curry and Jay Pharaoh. Other notable credits include, among others:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He wrote and performed comedy music for the Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show (Netflix);<\/li>\n<li>Historical Roasts with Jeff Ross (Netflix);<\/li>\n<li>Becky G on Olympic Highlights;<\/li>\n<li>Back That Year Up 2024 with Machine Gun Kelly;<\/li>\n<li>Avery co-wrote and co-directed the song and music video Christmas Magic, featuring 60 all-star comics (Howie Mandel, Adam Devine, Nick Swardson, Richard Lewis, and others) to benefit the charity Comedy Gives Back;<\/li>\n<li>Appearances include, \u2018The Hall\u2019 (Netflix), \u2018Bill Burr\u2019s Friends Who Kill\u2019 (Netflix), \u2018Masters of Sex\u2019 (Showtime), &#8216;Suits&#8217; (USA), \u2018LA Complex\u2019 (CW);<\/li>\n<li>Avery was featured on NPR.<\/li>\n<li>His music video \u201cI&#8217;m Not Equipped To Be A Father\u201d with Tiffany Haddish &amp; Chris Redd was featured by Funny Or Die.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qXbtA0kO-r0?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Avery Pearson: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>How did he come to this mix of comedy and music that has become his signature practice?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I always loved it,\u201d he says. \u201cI grew up in Toronto. My buddies were always sort of comedians. We were joking around always. We&#8217;d hang around in the park and make up dumb songs. One of us could play guitar,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was always the worst one. My friends were so funny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One day, he heard an Adam Sandler song, and it came as a revelation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought, omigod, is that a thing? You could do both?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The idea of being able to combine comedy and music in a career seized his imagination. He eventually moved south to the United States to pursue show biz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I moved to Los Angeles about 11 years ago, I got a job as a tour guide,\u201d he says. It was meant as a stop gap until he could get on his feet as an actor or performer. At one point, the tour led to a studio that was largely taken up with a grand piano.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was the only one who could play it,\u201d he says. Avery had studied classical piano&#8230; to a point. \u201cI failed my Royal Conservatory tests in the eighth grade,\u201d he says, but admits it was probably his fault. \u201cThe other kids had gloves on to keep their fingers warm, and I had barely practiced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back in Los Angeles, he began to play piano between shows at a comedy club. It wasn\u2019t long before the comedians were asking him to play during their act. He made a connection with Jeff Ross, aka the Roastmaster for his barbed styled of comedy, and played for his local shows. \u201cThe place is full, and here&#8217;s this comedian I&#8217;d idolized growing up,\u201d he recalls. \u201cHe told me, just play something sexy. I just played jazz 7s,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_115486\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-115486\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-115486\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/dsc00074_54362092088_o.jpg\" alt=\"Musical comedian Avery Pearson (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/dsc00074_54362092088_o.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/dsc00074_54362092088_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/dsc00074_54362092088_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/dsc00074_54362092088_o-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-115486\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Musical comedian Avery Pearson (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Piano and Comedy<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI think there&#8217;s just something about stand up comedy and piano that works really well,\u201d Avery says.<\/p>\n<p>From backing up comedians, Pearson began to develop his own shows, as well as writing the music for other artists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI developed my own show at the Improv,\u201d he says. His show came after a comedian\u2019s two-hour set, and before another performance slot. His job, he says, was to keep people in their seats during the break, but comedians began to drift into his set too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just kind of grew. It was a very natural progression for me,\u201d he says. \u201cThis was something where I was just having fun.\u201d After a time, it began to take on a life of its own. \u201cI think I did 10,000 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was far from where he\u2019d anticipated ending up when he first moved stateside. \u201cI just wanted to be an actor,\u201d he says. \u201cI wanted to be Mark Ruffalo.\u201d He spent some time in New York City, and had an upward trajectory of off-Broadway to Broadway to movies all set up in his mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I met my wife,\u201d he says. As a good and observant partner, she steered him in a more realistic direction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Cm-xP25e5zk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Comedian Rhapsody with Avery Pearson &amp; The Greatest Concert of Comedy Songs of All Time, Ever!<\/h2>\n<p>Avery\u2019s Comedian Rhapsody show blends original comedy songs with stand up. The comedians deliver a quick set, then join Avery on the keyboard for an original song. The series had an eight year soldout run at The Hollywood Improv, with featured performances at Netflix is a Joke Fest, Moontower Comedy, and New York Comedy Fest. Today, the series has found a new home at New York Comedy Club.<\/p>\n<p>The list of who\u2019s jammed along with Pearson include a who\u2019s who of the comedy world, such as Sarah Silverman, Tiffany Haddish, Keegan-Michael Key, Machine Gun Kelly, Jelly Roll, Iliza Shlesinger, Judd Apatow, Jay Pharaoh, Seth Green, Atsuko Okatsuka, Aisling Bea, Jamie Kennedy, Dulc\u00e9 Sloan, J Chris Newberg, Drennon Davis, Chris Porter, Jeremiah Watkins, Erik Griffin, Wolves of Glendale, and many others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s a really fun night,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the format he\u2019ll bring to his July 10 show in Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>Along with the live show, he\u2019s got a special airing on June 26.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I have a special coming out June 26,\u201d he says. He describes it as \u201cthe greatest rock concert of comedy songs ever\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The idea began to build. \u201cLet&#8217;s just do a great concert, and see what happens,\u201d he says. \u201cWe filmed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He called on friends in the comedy industry, who came out in force. He was looking for a theme, and re-examining where he\u2019d been.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s tough to accept you have to do other things,\u201d he says, noting how many restaurant servers in Los Angeles would rather be doing something else. \u201cI was an awful server,\u201d he confesses. \u201cI sold tickets in Times Square. I&#8217;ve done absolutely everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What is success? Is it just&#8230; being happy? Or something else? The musing led to the theme of the special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should do a special and make it like The Last Waltz,\u201d he says. \u201cI did this special where I quit. I&#8217;m going to give it up, and just fade away. I really found it quite therapeutic,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut then at the end&#8230; I don&#8217;t want to ruin it, but I&#8217;m still here,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, his live Toronto appearance comes a couple of weeks after the special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;d love to keep coming back to Toronto,\u201d he says. \u201cIt&#8217;s really special,\u201d he says of the experience.<\/p>\n<p>And, there\u2019s another bonus for comedy and music lovers this time of year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s air conditioning at the theatre,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_115487\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-115487\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-115487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/IMG_1048.jpg\" alt=\"Musical comedian Avery Pearson (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/IMG_1048.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/IMG_1048-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/IMG_1048-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/IMG_1048-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-115487\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Musical comedian Avery Pearson (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Show Details<\/h3>\n<p>There are two ways you can check Avery Pearson\u2019s comedy and music performances.<\/p>\n<p>On <strong>June 26<\/strong>, The Greatest Concert of Comedy Songs of All Time, Ever! \u2014 a special that features, along with Pearson, comedians Jay Pharoah, Arden Myrin, Adam Ray, Beth Stelling, Luke Null, JR De Guzman, Jeremiah Watkins, Josh Adam Meyers, and special appearances by Lisa Ann Walter and Jackie Tohn \u2014 will be available online to watch live or restream.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Details and info [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/veeps.com\/averypearson\/ebcb9803-9869-4f2c-8401-61b4d7a901f8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On <strong>July 10<\/strong>, he\u2019s bringing his Comedian Rhapsody show with Filipino-Canadian comedian Keith Pedro and Unionville native\/Humber College School of Comedy grad Adam Risbridger to the Comedy Bar.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tickets and info [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/comedybar.ca\/shows\/comedian-rhapsody-with-avery-pearson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? 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